Modern Living: Monopoly in Elysium

When Monopoly was first marketed 40 years ago, its manufacturer was
certain that a complicated, long-running game centered on the
acquisition of Atlantic City real estate would have a short run for its
funny money. Since then, nearly 80 million sets have been sold a
record 3.5 million this year alone and two generations of Monopolists
have been hooked on the game from Moscow (where it is officially banned
as "too capitalistic") to Tokyo. Now, belatedly, Monopoly is
being treated with the seriousness its addicts have always thought it
deserved.